Social Impact Assessment

Introduction

Most employees live within 10 km of the RuralShores centre. They have to be 12th Standard pass to be employable. Many of them come from farming background. The average age of a RuralShores employee is 22 years. Almost half our employees are women. Educational and employment aspirations have been transformed across generations within the families, especially for women. Most have never imagined it would be possible for them to work at a BPO in a village. They have a strong desire to learn English as it allows for greater learning and interaction with the outside world.

Most of the employees dream and hope that their children would go on to “even better” jobs than their RuralShores jobs, and achieve higher education levels. Most would not stop their daughters to work outside the home – in itself, an indicator of attitude change across generations.

Social Impact Assessment

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) includes the processes of analysing, monitoring and managing the intended and unintended social consequences, both positive and negative, of planned interventions (policies, programs, plans, projects) and any social change processes invoked by those interventions.

This makes a real and enduring all-round improvement to the rural populace through the creation of a socially impacting eco system. This is a scalable model to provide better access to socially beneficial services and products that genuinely and directly improve the quality of lives and livelihoods of the rural people.

Make a real and enduring all-round improvement to the rural populace through the creation of a socially impacting eco system

Scalable model – to make a difference to the largest population possible

Social Impact Solutions – to provide better access to socially beneficial services & products that genuinely and directly improve the quality of lives and livelihoods

Self Sustaining – the eco-system should run on its own in a steady state

RuralShores Annual Study

Scope of Study

Time : March 2013

Coverage: 11 RuralShores centres

Respondents: 650

Profile: Associate level

Methodology: Online Questionnaire

Metrics Measured

Demographic

Lifestyle

Economic

Standard of living

Skill development

Aspirational change

Social responsiveness

Work related

Key Findings

Families are now able to consume 3 square meals

Girls feel tremendously empowered (now believe they can change their own destiny)

Employees have gained tremendous respect in society

Families now able to convert thatched/tiled houses to Pakka houses

Many employees now pursuing Graduation and Post Graduation while working

Annual household income after joining RuralShores has gone up to :
Rs 1 lac+/ year (steady income)

Avg increase in family savings after joining RuralShores:
20 +%

Demographic

Life style

Summary

RuralShores has been successful in providing a sustainable income to the employees which has added substantially to the traditional household income of the family, which in majority of the families is farming and dependent on the vagaries of nature.

Standard of living of employees and their families has undergone a tremendous uplift since the time they have been given sustainable employment at the centers. In an internal study done recently, it was found that employees have invested in household conveniences like refrigerators, besides providing for education of their siblings.